Best keto resources for families and patients: | Keto diet overviews| Keto support groups | Best keto books | Keto for Psych || Best keto resources for doctors | Keto CME’s – metabolic syndrome & epilepsy | Keto guidelines | Fasting science | Clinician questions|
Knowing where to start makes change less daunting. Here is our curated list of the best the credible keto world has to offer. If you have additions, let us know! If you offer keto care and would like to be linked, let us know!
Keto resources for families, caregivers and patients
Of the many versions of the ketogenic diet, might some emerge as preferable for certain indications or bio-individual factors?
Ketogenic diet overviews
Emerging keto diet guidelines a may also be helpful.
- Diet Doctor: Making Low Carb and Keto Simple
- Intensive Dietary Management (IDM) Program: Fasting for weight loss and diabetes control made simple
- Dr. Eric Westman’s “page 4.” He leads Duke Keto Medicine Clinic.
- Virta Health: Clinically-proven treatment for diabetes reversal
- The Ten Defining Characteristics of a Well-Formulated Ketogenic Diet
- Virta Health – Overview of clinical trials and research
- The Virta Treatment
Medical Ketogenic Diet
Especially for more serious conditions such as epilepsy, treatment-resistant schizophrenia, bipolar or depression disorders.
- Charlie Foundation for Ketogenic Therapies (pediatric epilepsy) Keto Therapies
- Learn about Ketosis
- Matthew’s Friends Ketogenic therapies (pediatric epilepsy) Ketogenic Therapies
- Online Introductory Course for Families, Carers and Patients
Ketogenic diets combined with elimination diets and other variants.
Some athletes and those with food sensitivities use other keto diet variations. Ketogenic diets can also be vegetarian, vegan and carnivore diets. Some who desire to improve their metabolic health by spending some time in ketosis, choose instead to use fasting and time restricted eating. We at Metabolic Multiplier are diet diplomats. Work with your doctor to find what works for you, especially if you are using diet to help treat a disorder.
- Nevada Gray, PharmD, RN, CPT. the PaleoPharmicist, provides an evidence-based approach to addressing food sensitivities across the spectrum of diet options.
- Carrie Diulus, MD. An orthopedic spinal surgeon manage her type 1 diabetes with a ketogenic diet
Moderated keto support groups for individuals and their families
The following are popular forums for ketogenic eating.
Free keto support groups
- Ketogenic forums (An offshoot of 2 Keto Dudes Podcast) – You can find me there! (Cecile)
- The Fasting Method (IDM Program). “The Obesity Code Network: Fasting Support with Megan Ramos & Dr. Jason Fung” is on Facebook.
- Doctor Tro. Weekly Online Town Hall Meetings on Zoom.
Keto communities with membership (some have a free trial period).
- Intensive Dietary Management (IDM Program): Fasting for weight-loss and diabetes control made simple. For their Member Community they use low-carb, high-fat diets including ketogenic dietary therapies.
- Virta Health: Clinically-proven treatment for diabetes reversal.
- Diet Doctor Community
Best low carb books
This keto book list is ordered by a measure of popularity, the number of ratings received on Goodreads.
Low carb and keto books for beginners
- Jason Fung, M.D. The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
- Jason Fung, M.D. Jimmy Moore. The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting
- Eric C. Westman M.D., Stephen D. Phinney M.D., Jeff S. Volek. The New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great
- Jeff S. Volek and Stephen D. Phinney M.D. (2012). The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
More advanced low carb and keto books
- David Perlmutter, M.D. (2013) and Kristin Loberg. Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs and Sugar — Your Brain’s Silent Killers.
- Gary Taubes. (2011). Why We Get Fat: And What to do About It. (2007). Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease.
- Nina Teicholz. (2014). The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet.
- Jeff S. Volek and Stephen D. Phinney, M.D. (2012). The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance – This book is written for athletes interested in the benefits of keto adaptation.
- Amy Berger. (2017). The Alzheimer’s Antidote: Using a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease, Memory Loss, and Cognitive Decline.
Keto resources for mental health
- Chris Palmer, MD. Did you know that the medical ketogenic diet has been effective for some with treatment-resistant schizophrenia and bipolar disorder?
- Start with Dr. Palmer’s Grand Rounds talk at Harvard Medical School’s McLean Hospital, “The Ketogenic Diet in Psychiatry”. (1 hour)
- A bibliography of research articles by Dr. Palmer and others exploring keto for psych as well as the metabolic-mental connection.
- Ignacio Cuaranta, MD. “Nutrition and Mental Health” Diet Doctor podcast #26.
- Georgia Ede, M.D. focuses on elimination diets, including the carnivore diet
- Low carb and mental health: The food-mood connection. Diet Doctor. July, 2019.
- Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and the New Science of Hope: Metabolic similarities offer a path to preventing neurodegenerative disorders. Psychology Today. Posted Jun 29, 2019
- Ketogenic Diets and Psychiatric Medications. Psychology Today. March 27, 2018.
- Anne Mullens and Georgia Ede, M.D. Ketogenic diet for mental health: Come for the weight loss, stay for the mental health benefits? Diet Doctor. June, 2019.
Best keto resources for clinicians
Note: A low-carbohyrdate diet is a loose term for restriction of sugar & starches. Similarly, there are many versions of the ketogenic diet for weight loss. A stricter version, the medical/therapeutic ketogenic diet (TKD) requires strict macro-nutrient measurement and strict patient adherence. A TKD uses blood ketone levels as an objective criteria of achievement.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) / Certified Education (CE)
CME / CE’s for clinicians – keto for metabolic syndrome, diabetes & weight loss
- Diet Doctor. Low Carb and Keto for Doctor’s – Includes a 16 episode training cou Treating metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and obesity with therapeutic carbohydrate restriction. Free as of May 2020.
- Low Carb USA:
- Clinical Guidelines for Prescribing Carbohydrate Restriction. Pediatric epilepsy guidelines recommend a stricter version of Low Carb USA’s VLCK diet. (very low-carbohydrate ketogenic).
- Professional Training in LCHF / Ketogenic Nutrition & Treatment Course. The course is worth 23 CPD (Continuing Professional Development) / CME units. It was developed by the Nutrition Network.
- Virta Health – Currently focused on Type 2 Diabetes and weight loss. Information for healthcare providers.
- Once you’ve registered with Virta, they also have (free) clinician focused trainings and support groups.
- COVID-19 + Diabetes – Webinar series.
- Conferences – A variety of low-carb conferences offer CME’s and the opportunity to meet others in the field. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dates for large, in-person meetings are in flux.
CME’s /CE’s for clinicians – ketogenic therapies for epilepsy & brain health
- Matthew’s Friends: Keto College for medical professionals. In the UK, Canada and New Zealand. KetoCollege Online Tutorials – Healthcare Professionals ONLY
- KetoCollege Annual training meeting. Three day in-person course. CPD units. Historically in the UK or Australia.
- Charlie Foundation: trainings for professionals. Phenomenal if you are really serious and want to create an entire team. Three day training for your whole team which must include a physician, registered dietitian + others.
Clinician to clinician questions
Virta Health hosts a “Low Carb Clinicians” group on Facebook. It is a great resource for questions “about the use of low carbohydrate lifestyles and nutritional ketosis in the treatment of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, obesity and metabolic disease.” Clinicians ONLY.
Fasting science (and time restricted eating)
The Fasting Method. The science of fasting. What are the benefits. Getting started. Type 2 Diabetes. Wellness. Autophagy. Research.
Keto diet guidelines
Many types of keto diets are related to weight loss goals. Different diet versions are also emerging to treat specific disorders. Some are elimination diets to treat allergies or reactions to food, others aim at improving irritable bowel or other digestive issues. Other versions of the diet help with neurological or psychiatric disorders, these require close monitoring and specific design.. Ketogenic diets can be used to control or reverse metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and these versions also require careful control. If a ketogenic diet is used to treat a disorder, it is being used as a medical intervention, and as such it will require medical supervision and strict adherence.
- International Ketogenic Diet Study Group. Consensus Statement for Optimal clinical management of children receiving dietary therapies for epilepsy. (1)
- Medical ketogenic diets often calculate the ratio of fat grams to grams of carbohydrate and protein. (Ketogenic Ratio). To verify that ketosis is being achieved ketone body measurement using portable devices is often used.
- Low Carb USA. Therapeutic Carbohydrate Restriction Clinical Guidelines.
- Focuses on grams of total carbohydrates rather than the ketogenic ratio.
If you take prescription medications or suspect you have an underlying condition, then please work with your clinicians to tailor your diet to your specific needs. Of course, there are also many websites, books, podcasts and self-proclaimed experts aimed at weight loss. Buyer beware.
